Bringing together biographical information on world leaders from 1900 to the present, the two-volume "Biographical Dictionary of Modern World Leaders" provides an ideal introduction to the lives and work of the most influential and powerful people on the world stage.

Bringing together biographical information on world leaders from 1900 to the present, the two-volume "Biographical Dictionary of Modern World Leaders" provides an ideal introduction to the lives and work of the most influential and powerful people on the world stage. Political leaders of every stripe - from the Ayatollah Khomeini to Kofi Annan - can be found in this accessible A-to-Z reference set. Approximately 800 detailed biographies are derived from each of the 190 countries of the world, as well as many leaders of states or peoples that are only nominally independent. Each accessible volume includes a further reading list and an index of leaders by country.

North Korea has been a communist dictatorship since shortly after the end of World War II. Ruled by the iron hand of Kim Il Sung, the nation struggled economically compared to South Korea, which engineered an economic miracle. Kim died in 1994, turning over the government to his son, Kim Jong Il. A pampered youth, Kim Jong Il gradually took over a variety of powerful positions in his father's government.